Situated near Ap Bac Village in the Long An Province of Vietnam, the soldiers of Alpha Company, 4th Battalion, 47th Infantry were slogging through a couple hundred yards of open rice paddies when they stumbled into chaos. They all had to be searched and cleared, even though most were found to be unoccupied. 19-20 June 1967: Operation CONCORDIA. In the background could be heard the steady beat of helicopter blades as the choppers brought in supplies and took out casualties. They claimed 227 communist killed and captured three, while losing only 3 and suffering 63 wounded. Explore our Navy section: awards, stories, points of interest, origin of navy terminology and much, much more! WebOn the morning of January 2, 1963, the South Vietnamese Civil Guards spearheaded the attack by marching toward Ap Tan Thoi from the south. Refresher training period. On January 3, Deputy Secretary of Defense Roswell Gilpatric forwarded to the White House a Status of the, Quarterly 10 January 1967: 2nd Bde departed Oakland, CA. After fighting its way through the houses along the stream, it arrived at a position just short of the enemys main defense line. The personnel carriers of Company C, 5/60th, having a longer distance to travel, and having two fairly deep streams to cross, did not close Company As position until approximately 1530. Reason, increase in Viet Cong attacks on commercial shipping in Long Tau channel in early February. 3-10 June 1967: MRF shakedown. In the twilight, groups of soldiers moved about the battlefield seeking enemy survivors and collecting arms. Even though the general location of the enemy was known, the excellent camouflage and small holes customarily used by the Viet Cong made it impossible to spot exact fire positions until very close to them. D. Gilpatric, Roswell '&charset='+document.charset : (document.characterSet ? Haszard was fired on as he left the APC to attach the towline. [6], During the battle of Ap Bau Bang III, the Americans killed at least 227 Viet Cong, and captured 3, as well as much equipment and weapons. [5] At the same time the 1st Platoon of B Troop moved down Route 13 from its position eight kilometers north. Explore historical photos, gripping stories, poetry and song submitted by MRFA members. They developed a deep caring for each other and their mission.. 3 August 1967: 3rd Bn, 60th Inf come afloat, 4th Bn 47th Inf OpCon Funston. 0000001118 00000 n The ARVN were decisively defeated. By now, time had become the vital consideration, for darkness was approaching rapidly. It was the day after Fathers Day, June 19, 1967. While these deployments were being made, the 3/47th continued to alternate intense artillery fire and air strikes the enemy position, thus effectively preventing most of them from escaping. press reaction across the country to the battle of Ap Bac noted that (Attached ibid.) Relations, World Wide Diplomatic Archives By 1500, Company A had reached the restraining line designated by the brigade commander, and was deployed along it in assault formation with three platoons abreast. They had biggest bag of the operation. His Company B still occupied the blocking position to the north, and was relatively fresh. Men spoke in high-pitched, excited voices as though still trying to make themselves heard over the roar of gunfire. In view of this, the brigade commander, Col. William B. Fulton, changed his scheme of maneuver. At 23:10, Captain Alcala reported that firing had ended and that infrared equipment was being used to detect the communists. document.write ("'><\/scr"+"ipt>"); In front of the platoon was the small pasture where the lead squad of Company A, 3/47th, had been destroyed earlier. After knocking past a hastily built communist ambush just north of the perimeter, they moved around to the south. The men were in Park County earlier this month to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Ap Bac. This killed the communists, but in one case, Viet Cong mortar hit simultaneously, blowing up the APC, killing one and injuring many others. Vietnamese forces, and concluded: It also hurts here when irresponsible Company A was to move by trucks furnished by the brigade besides organic vehicles form the battalion, and upon arrival would go into battalion reserve near the line of departure. var width = jQuery(window).width(); General, Status of the 21 May 1967: 4th Bn 47th Infantry relieved RSSZ mission, proceeds to Dong Tam and OnCon 2nd Brigade. On January 2, 1963, regular army and civil guard forces of the Republic Alcala concluded that it was an attempt by the Viet Cong to recover bodies. The air was alive with bullets, making it impossible to advance across the open space. He adopted a conventional formation of two battalions advancing abreast, the 3rd Battalion, 60th Infantry, on the west, the 3rd Battalion, 47th Infantry on the east, with Highway 4 as a line of departure. The 3rd Battalion, 47th Infantry, would also advance to the north as soon as it arrived. [5], The elements of B and C Troops move in from afar to assist their colleagues. You play a dangerous game, and people get hurt. Two 3rd Platoon tanks were hit, but were not disabled. It was fought in nh Tng Province (now part of Tin Giang Province), South to the Joint Chiefs at the end of January, see Document 26. 28-31 January 1967: 2nd Bde arrives at Vung Tau, Close Bearcat. Chiefs of Staff which suggested that the press was painting the battle At 07:00 the final air strike and artillery rounds were fired. other military operations being undertaken successfully by South Neil c. Biggest US operation ever held in the Delta. US forces had M113 APCs, such as these, and even a half-dozen full M48 battle tanks at their disposal. document.write ("&loc=" + escape(window.location)); The Viet Cong started their attack ten minutes later, and they were met with artillery fire, cluster bomb units, napalm and 500 pound bombs. However, when they reached the Not the animal, physical fear that had possessed them as they threw themselves, yelling and screaming, at the dug-in enemy a short time before, but fear for the safety of comrades who had fallen in the vicious assault. Vietnamese forces at Ap Bac had made a number of errors, but he //]]>-->, Alpha Company walked into a batallion-sized ambush, said Powell resident and Army veteran Jim Heller. The 3d Platoon of C Troop, moved up Route 13 from their position five kilometers to the south, driving through a barrage of fire before reaching the base perimeter at 01:27. Those on the north had been swept by Company B earlier, and were known to be free of enemy troops. 261st Viet Cong Main Force Battalion, normally in Kien Hoa, moved up to west Ding Tuong early July. The surviving members of First Platoon Bravo Company gathered, as they have the last several years, at Hellers cabin in the Willwood area to commemorate their service and remember that day. Advancing without halting under cover of the terrific fire they were putting down, they rapidly closed up to the wooded area. [1] The mortars fired from afar while a large number of infantrymen dressed in black charged from the foliage. Calling for artillery fire and air support, the commander attempted to maneuver his company across the stream. Information obtained from a captured Viet Cong assessment of the battle 0000001668 00000 n The ambush was to be in position by 18:00. [1]:107, With nightfall the casualties of Company A, 4/47th Infantry were able to be evacuated, while most of the VC were able to escape through gaps in the U.S. positions. WebThis was the plan finally coordinated on the evening of 1 May 1967. It soon became apparent that the craft would be delayed, and after a wait of more than an hour, the battalion was notified that the helicopters would not arrive because of a tactical emergency elsewhere. Clusters of coconut trees abounded and mangrove clumps generally straddled one of the many waterways that traversed the area. if( width > 480 ){ State. Links to friends, affiliates and other sites you should visit! These guys? There was much shouting and hollering as leaders tried to find their men, ascertain their status and reorganize for the night. [7] The original English was, This is to advise you that during the battle of Ap Bau Bang on 20 March the Regimental Commander of Q763 (273d Regiment) and his Battalion Commanders disgraced themselves by performing in an un-soldierly manner. September 1966: 1st Coronado Conference, 9th Infantry Division S. Vietnam war and noted that the battle will provide enemy with Out there at my place on the Willwood where things were quiet, there were no agendas, no one had to go anywhere for food. [6] Shortly after it moved into position, a six-man Viet Cong force was engaged. The APC operators decided to fire their canisters on each other to remove the Viet Cong, as they were too close for an APC to clear from itself. Timeline, Biographies The positions were located by radar from Lai Khe, although one officer thought that airborne artillery observers seeing the flashes were more effective. Links to friends, affiliates and other sites you should visit! It was apparent that the climax was rapidly approaching. (Telegram 662 to Persson said their platoon was unique in that they had been together since the beginning of boot camp, so the absence of another member of the tight-knit group was always felt. Alcala requested artillery support from the battalion he was securing and further away in Lai Khe. Battalion severely damaged. Alpha Company didnt; they walked right into an ambush that was prepared for the entire battalion, not just one company, Heller explained. characterized them largely as errors of courage rather than cowardice. Some light small arms fire had been met by the southern-most platoon advancing along the stream, but the enemy had quickly withdrawn when his fire was returned. At 03:30 the communist fire eased; resupply of the units and evacuation of the wounded was completed during the next 75 minutes while the artillery and air strikes continued. All was in readiness when, suddenly, the last strafing aircraft wobbled and sprayed the line of tracked vehicles with its 20-mm. 9, 2007 (Battle of Ap Bac was a small-scale action early in the Vietnam War took place on Jan. 2, 1963, Become a member of MRFA! In fact, if anything, the operation got off to an inauspicious start. direct orders to advance during Wednesdays battle at Ap Bac and that an [4] Within 20 minutes of the start of the mortar attack, the Viet Cong ground assault began. Temporarily stalled, the company commander requested the support of the empty tracked vehicles which he could see to the north. The battle of Ap Bac, Vietnam, 2007. found: Wikipedia, viewed Apr. THE BATTLE : At 07:00 on the 2nd January, 10 Shawnee Helicopters landed West of Ap Bac, dropping the first wave of the 3 Rifle Companies. In the first 10 minutes, 95 percent of them were killed. By mid May this builds to full RAS at Dong Tam, while continuing operations in RSSZ, from base at Vung Tau. When recoilless fire began hitting the tracked vehicles, the die was cast. The South Vietnamese forces enjoyed a 4-1 numerical advantage in the Operation Concordia was an operation conducted by the U.S. [CDATA[ On 20 June 4/47th Infantry searched south of the ambush area locating a VC force north of the Rach Gion Ong stream at Ap Nam and assisted by a Company from the 2nd Battalion, 60th Infantry, wiped out a VC Platoon. "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers, For he today that sheds his blood with me, shall be my brother." Marion. memorandum prepared for the President by the Joint Staff of the Joint Index, A Short History In addition, some men were having trouble with their rifles, due to the terrific volume of the fire they were pouring out. Felt noted that it was important to since Ap Bac the complaint has been increasingly heard that the It was as hoped that in this manner the tracked vehicles could compensate for the lack of a blocking force. The first true battle of the Vietnam War was Ap Bac. This answer is: If you already have a web account, but need to reset it, you can do so by clicking here. At 22:50 that night a Viet Cong probe signaled the start of the battle. This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History. Its a good family of vets, and its always a joy to see them.. The letter was translated into Vietnamese, and leaflets were dropped into the communist area. Saigon, January 7; Department of State, Central Files, 951K.6211/1-763) September 1966: 2nd Bde designated Army Component of (MDAF- Mekong Delta Mobile Afloat Base). Howitzers in direct support of each assaulting company, and under the control of the commanders concerned. This was prompted in part by the need to get as close to the enemy as possible before assaulting, plus the necessity of crossing the tracked vehicles over the two tracked vehicles, would continue to advance by using fire and maneuver within the platoons to destroy individual enemy positions as they were discovered. They were assured of swift success. Explore points of interest in the US Army section; awards, citations, index, roster and select information related to the mobile riverine force! The battalion commander of the 3/60th Infantry intended to move his unit forward by stages before making the final assault. command which never placed a Vietnamese officer above the rank of 0000004946 00000 n On the north and south was a line of dense coconut trees and undergrowth. We looked across the field and saw a lot of While fighting continued, part of Festa's unit were trying to evacuate their wounded. Archives and Records Administration, RG [1]:104 The operation plan called for the deployment of five Companies of the 3rd and 4th Battalions, 47th Infantry Regiment into the operations area by assault craft and sweep south towards the ARVN 2nd Battalion, 46th Infantry blocking positions near the town of Ap Bac in Tien Giang Province. A full archive of past and present "River Currents" newsletters from your friends at MRFA. Chaplain Charlie Zies, 1st Platoon Bravo Company, 4/47 9th Infantry Division, delivers a short service to the surviving members of his platoon, the Tornados, at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Cody. Diplomatic Couriers, Guide to Country Recognition and [7] Almost form the moment it crossed the line of departure, it had begun to meet fire. A copy of a report The men then began Advanced Infantry Training, a highly specialized program for their operational designation the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam. They had become highly proficient in group and individual tactics. Most were shot down as the troops of Company A, seizing the break they had been waiting for, quickly overran the position. Battle of AP Bac II, in AP Bac Hamlet, CAN/GUIOC District, Long An Province. TF-117 supports 2nd Bde operations, initially with RAS boats borrowed from the Vietnamese Navy, crewed by US Crews, as TF-117 boats arrived in country, they were phased into RSSZ operations. Vietnam, April-Dec. 1963), The Department of State and the White House expressed concern over the Nearly every member of Hellers platoon was wounded in the battle, including Heller himself. 20-22 August 1967: MRF Conducts Recon in force into Parrots Beak area of LONG AN Province (along VAM CO DONG River above BEN LUC-also known ORIENTAL RIVER). That was a rarity in the Vietnam era much rarer than people ever realize, Persson said. It could prevent disaster, if necessary, but its chances of successfully attacking south along the stream were slim, since semi-darkness was already covering the area. b. But experience had shown that at best this was an educated guess, one that all too often had proved false. Seeking enemy survivors and collecting arms see them Roswell ' & amp ; charset='+document.charset: ( document.characterSet night Viet... Hollering as leaders tried to find their men, ascertain their status and reorganize for the night a large of... 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